When the word library come up to your mind, what do you thing in ? A big place, isn’t it ? and how many times your expectations has been satisfied ?
The first time I went into this place I had read about its big size, as it was an abandoned Wallmart Store. But it is not until you stay there you cannot even imagine out how big it can be.
Public authorities decided to reuse the structure of the abandoned building to make something interesting.
The main entrance tells you a little bit about what you are going to find inside. Even the old box has nothing interesting as a container, the interior has been carry out with care and gentle.
The library has 125.000 square feet, about 11500 m2, wich it is about two football fields and a half size. Such a huge building has been programmed to attend all public, from babies , todlers, kids and young people to adults ones, so every range of age can find its place here.
The homogenization and organization of the spaces it is reached trough white roofs and carpets on different colors ands shapes, distributed from a central axis covered with cedar ceiling panels
Book area is at the left side, while the rest of the spaces rest at the right of the building.
On reading area, all of them connected, eveything is designed with care, and you never have the lost sensation that you might feel a superstore (as I use to have). From almost all points of the library you can reach visually the rest of the area. The idea of localization is reinforced with kind of meeting points, wich tells you in what area you are at that moment. They are designed as big lamps, or big hanging virtual walls.
Everything is modulated and sized to provide visitors the apropiated scale of the point.
Small shelves sized on children area, very comfortable places to play, to touch and read, make users feel the place is theirs, and create the necesity of coming back to that comfortable place.
Teen area, it is not just a place for studying (with study rooms) but for enjoying too. A nice place designed for bringing you device or PSP and play with friends is available too…
All about the building talk about a special place. Materials has been choosen with care, a high percentage of nontoxic, recycled, and recyclable materials. Different water recycling system, such as condensate recovery system collects and pumps water to the cooling towers at the central plant, saving an additional estimated 180,000 gallons of water per year.
The library has been designed to reduce energy demand by automation systems incorporating daylight harvesting, LED systems, and occupancy sensors. In this way, lighting system can contribute to reduce a high porcetage of the energy consumption.
The idea of recycling and saving energy is present in this building from its conception as a library through its design.
Thanks to those who trust in architecture !
cotta arquitectura 
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